The Japanese team is missing two pillars in the match against Vietnam

According to the press of the land of the rising sun, defensive player Ko Itakura and midfielder Wataru Endo will leave the team to return to Germany. Both played the full 90 minutes in the win against Australia on March 24.

Itakura was born in 1997 and plays for Schalke 04. Endo was born in 1993 and is having his second season in Stuttgart. Endo has been playing in the Bundesliga since the 2019/20 season, while Itakura has just moved from the Groningen team in Belgium.

The Japanese press did not specify the reason for the absence of both. The Japan Football Federation only announced that these two players were not present in the match against Vietnam on the afternoon of March 29. However, according to many sources, these two players actively asked not to play in the last match.

Endo was absent from the match against Vietnam on March 29 at Saitama Stadium

The reason these two players asked to return early to the club is because they need to be in the best physical condition to return to fight with the big goals of the two teams. Ko Itakura’s Schalke club are fighting for the promotion ticket to the Bundesliga this season. Currently, Schalke is ranked 4th in the German Second Division, behind the top team St. Pauli 4 points.

Meanwhile, Wataru Endo is playing for Stuttgart club, the team is fighting for the goal of relegation in the Bundesliga. After 27 rounds, “White Swan” only got 26 points, equal to the group holding the red light.

Currently, the Japanese team is only in dispute for the first place in Group B in the third qualifying round of the 2022 World Cup with Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia will host Australia at home. Australia is the team that won the right to play the intercontinental play-off round after taking 3rd place.

The Japanese team will have 3 days to prepare for the match against Vietnam. Their opponents will be in Tokyo on the morning of March 26. Vietnam team flew from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City on the evening of March 25 to connect to Japan. Estimated flight time is more than 5h30 minutes.

Coach Park Hang-seo only had 19 players on this flight. They will add goalkeeper Dang Van Lam upon arrival at the hotel. The Vietnamese team has a total of 20 healthy players for the match against Japan, including three goalkeepers.

* Invite readers to watch the programs broadcast by Vietnam Television on TV Online and VTVGo!